Friday, July 11, 2014

Tanks that Shaped WWII - Panzer II

France, 1940 – German light mobile tanks spearheaded the advance
of German Blitzkrieg in the Ardennes Forest and pushed the Anglo-French forces
back. Similar to its contemporary, the Panzer II, was develop in the dark
shadows of the Treaty of Versailles, the Panzer II were new German tanks made
to carry out the ambitions of Adolf Hitler. Tanks shaped World War II. It moved
battles from trenches to open plains. Mobility overtook static strategies. And
the Panzer II played a role during World War II.

Like thePanzer
I, the Panzer II was also illegally developed. In 1919, the Treaty of
Versailles placed harsh and devastating punishment for Germany. Out of the 450
article conceived in the treaty, more than 400 was meant to weaken Germay.
Among the prohibitions was the ban on development of an air force and tanks.

In 1934, Germany began to develop its Panzer. In the same year,
theHeereswaffenamt or
the German Army Weapons Agency wanted to develop a tank for training. To avoid
suspicion of the League of Nations, the Agency called landwirtschaftlicher100 or LaS 100, simply a
tractor. Weapons manufacturer like Krupp, Henschel, and MAN were given
the task of developing a design of the needed tank. Eventually, MAN’s chassis
design the chosen design. But the superstructure and the turret of the tank’s
design was given to Daimler-Benz.

In 1935, the first batch of Panzer II were made. Many companies
took part in the production, such as Daimler-Benz, Famo, MIAG, and Wegmann. The
Panzerkampfwagen II Ausf A was a three-man crew tank. It was armed with a 20-mm
cannon placed offset to right. Besides the main weapon was a 7.92 mm co-axial
machinegun. It weighted 7.2 tons. It had a speed of 40km/hr. made by a 130
horsepower gasoline engine.

On the following year, a new batch of Panzer II, the Ausf B was
made. Its engine was upgraded to a 140-horsepower gasoline engine. Frontal
armor was made thicker. Thus, the weight became heavier, from 7.2 tons to 8
tons.

In 1937, a third batch of Panzer II, the Ausf C, was produced. It
had a better armor, and its boggie wheels were upgraded and made it possible to
move to different terrains easier.

For the next two years, new batches of Panzer II were made. In
1938, the Ausf D rolled out the war factories. In 1939, the Ausf E was
introduced. It had a torsion-bar suspension making it lighter to move. It also
had a speed of 55km/hr.

In 1939, Panzer II faced its first major battle. It played a role
for the successful blitzkrieg of Poland alongside thePanzer
I. Then in 1940, it participated to the demise of the Anglo-French forces
with 1,000 strong Panzer II rolled.

After the war, a new batch of Panzer II was made. The Ausf F was
created with better armor protection. It front armor was 35mm. Meanwhile, in
its sides, it had 20mm thick armor.

In 1940, Hitler planned the invasion of England. To cater to the
need of an amphibious tank, a new variant of Panzer II was made. The Model A
was the first amphibious tank develop by Germany. Its engine was made to propel
the tank up to a speed of 10kn/hr.

However, Hitler decided to act against the east first. In June
1941, Hitler launched operation Barbarossa. The Panzer II approved to be
outmatched heavily. It armor was no match to the guns of Russian T-34. It also
had a weak firepower and could not deal enough damage to the slope armor of the
T-34.

Although the Panzer II was obsolete, its chassis proved to be
useful. Many Panzer II were converted to either an anti-tank gun carrier, an
artillery, or reconnaissance. During the war between Germany and the USSR, the
Germans captured several 76.2 mm Anti-Tank Gun. The German then used the Panzer
II chassis and attached the anti-tank gun at its top. The result was the Marder
I. And sometime later, the Russian gun was replaced by a 7.5mm German anti-tank
gun. It was the Marder II. 1,200 Marder II were produced. Chassis of Panzer II
were also used to carry howitzers. The Wespe weighed 10 tons and had 10.5mm
howitzer. It produced in Poland and ended its production when it fell to the
Soviets in 1944. Other variation included the Flammpanzer II, which began
production in 1942. It was a Panzer II armed with a flame thrower. A hundred of
this Flammpanzer II were produced. The Panzer II also became the basis of a
reconnaissance tank called the Luch, which began production in 1943.

The Panzer II were the tanks that started World War II. It played
a huge role for the advance of the German war machine in Poland and France.
Although converted, its chassis saw action in the winter battles of Operation
Barbarossa. Panzer II contributed in shaping World War II.

Axelrod, A. (ed.). Encyclopedia of World War II. New York: Fact on File, 2007.

Bishop, C. The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II: The Comprehensive Guide to Over 1,500 Weapons Systems, Including Tanks, Small Arms, Warplanes, Artillery, Ships, and Submarines. New York: MetroBooks, 2002.